


Some Kind of Fairytale

by Graytrickster



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Falling In Love, Fluff, M/M, Nothing Bad Happened AU, Romance, khalid never had to use a fake name so he isnt called claude, meet cute, prince in disguise, the church was abolished the generation prior, their parents dont fail them au, this is basically self indulgent fluff i hope you enjoy, war never happened and parents never died
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-18 22:23:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29740779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Graytrickster/pseuds/Graytrickster
Summary: Prince Khalid was invited to meet the royal family of Faerghus, but on his way to their capital, a harsh snow storm leads to their only road being blocked by an avalanche. Now he finds himself anxiously awaiting the next step of his political future for the week it'll take to clear the snow.In his restless wandering, he finds a knight that he takes an interest in, and Khalid asks the knight to keep him company during his stay in the snow trapped town. What the Almyran Prince doesn't know is that this Kingdom Knight is actually the Prince of Faerghus, hiding himself as a knight in an attempt to make sure the town doesn't strain itself trying to accommodate two separate princes.Prince Dimitri, through a series of events that includes causing said avalanche, is trying to be inconspicuous about his presence. But he finds it impossible to deny Khalid anything and often forgets himself in Khalid's company. How long can he keep his identity as the Prince of Faerghus a secret? Should he at all? When will Khalid learn the truth?
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 11
Kudos: 58





	Some Kind of Fairytale

**Author's Note:**

> I am started yet another new fic because I have no self control.  
> This is an au where there is no war and far less trauma. The tragedy of Duscur never happened, the Church has long since been gone, TWSITD are stomped out, Khalid never had to run away to Fodlan, Edelgard's siblings are all alive and were never experimented on. Dimitri and Khalid are just young and happy and falling in love. It's basically a self care fic for when I get tired of writing the sad things I do in my other works.
> 
> This won't be nearly as long as my other works and it is endlessly self indulgent. As always, I will put content/trigger warnings at the beginning of each chapter should warnings or disclaimers be necessary. There won't be much in the way of plot but I do have a few things up my sleeve so please, stick around.

The mornings in Faerghus were the brightest Khalid had ever seen, and every morning since felt brighter than the last. He would wake up and the snow seemed to always be fresh, catching so much of the morning sun that the whole world would glow. Yet no amount of light could put the Almyran Prince at ease.

He'd had the view of Faerghus’ winter as his only company for hours now. 

At first he found himself captivated. It was so unlike the view from his window in Almyra’s royal palace, or the oceanic sunrise from mornings in the Riegan Estate in Dierdru. Winter at the palace meant the sky was grey, the ground was thick from mud, and they wore light furs and leathers to accommodate for the chill of heavy rains. Dierdru was not dissimilar in this, the only real difference being the intensity of coastal storms, but those were rare and a refined city infrastructure kept the salty waters far from concern. Khalid had known no other winter, not one like this, not one with snow. He knew there were places in Almyra as heavy with snow, heavier even, where it was cold all year around and the ground lacked green, but Almyra was vast and Khalid had never been north enough to experience it. He grew up in the royal heart of Almyra, resting comfortably away from the extreme climates held in the continent, never seeing the deserts, mountains, or famously dense forests. As a child, he had wanted to experience it all so very badly, full of wonderment and curiosity.

But by the time he was old enough to make the long trips that were required to visit those landscapes in Almyra, he was packed to go west instead, to Fodlan. His elder siblings were already in those distant territories, running them for the sake of their father, the King. As the youngest of all his siblings, there was no more territory to claim. And as the only child born to the present Queen consort, a Fodlan woman, his birth made Khalid a prince unlike any before him. If Khalid were to make himself useful (which he _had_ to as a prince) then he would fill the unique role his parents had intended for him since birth. To bridge the gap between Almyra and Fodlan. To be a politician. To be an ambassador.

It wasn’t easy, but there was no one better suited for it. Not only because his birth put Khalid as the tie between the two unfriendly continents, but because Khalid was extremely intelligent and took to diplomacy as if it were his bow. With Khalid’s arrival and maturity in Dierdru, the final stages of resolution between Fodlan and Almyra were able to be carried out. None of it was easy, and he couldn’t have done it if the basework hadn’t been already laid, (at least not while so young,) but it couldn’t have been done without him, either. He drafted the Treaty of the Throat when he was 18, giving a meaningful end to hostile border disputes and starting the rectification between Fodlan, through representation of the Leicester Alliance, and Almyra. 

Now, age 21, Khalid’s diplomacy had won him renown across all of Fodlan. And the work done in the Alliance meant it was time to expand further. Right as Khalid had settled into a manageable climate within the Alliance, where he finally had the time to be hands off and appoint work to trusted allies, the Kingdom of Faerghus had reached out requesting his presence.

It was an impressive letter. Big blue wax seal, thick parchment decorated with the Royal Blaiddyd coat of arms, delivered by a dashing Pegasus Knight acting as a messenger with gifts to go along with it. Blue gem jewelry, fine leather gloves, and rich warm clothes for the journey. Addressed to the Prince of Almyra, Khalid, son of King Rostam, of the Khvarenah dynasty. Bearer of the Crest of Riegan, Count within the Riegan Dukedom, Bringer of Unification. They included all of his titles. His reputation had caught the interest of royalty, and they wanted to meet the man who those in the Alliance spoke so highly of. Favor within the Alliance was great, but it was only a third of the continent of Fodlan. A third wasn’t enough. He couldn’t say no. His next stop as a politician was to Fhirdiad, the capital of the Kingdom of Faerghus, and he would arrive today. 

Or he would have if an avalanche had not blocked the only road to Fhirdiad. 

A snowstorm the likes of which Khalid had only ever read about hit suddenly and unrelentingly the other night. It had blinded him until he couldn’t see beyond his outstretched hand, the air froze his lungs and the winds had cut his face. The snow he was looking at now was so bright and so peaceful, he almost couldn't believe how viciously it had assaulted the land in order to find its place there. He was only meant to stay in this town for a night, but he was lucky to have arrived before the storm got worse. Now? Who knows when they would leave. Khalid didn’t.

He should have, but he didn’t, because despite asking for an assessment and update _three hours ago,_ no one had not come back with news. Not Nader, not Judith, not Cyril. No word of how they would proceed or if they had gotten in contact with King Lambert. Even his own personal body of guards had swapped in their rotation and couldn’t give Khalid any news. Khalid was a patient guy, of course he was, he was a diplomat who traveled great distances frequently, patience was a pillar of his success, but this was absurd. Not one person had stopped by to fill in him, and even as a patient man, he was not immune to feeling restless. 

Judith told him very pointedly to stay in his room while she figured out the situation. She had woken up to unrest amongst the Faerghus knights. Knights who bore a name special to Faerghus and could only do so if they were hand picked, personally trained under or with the royal Blaiddyd family. The Blue Lions. One of their special battalions traveled from Fhirdiad to offer further protection for Khalid’s escort to the capital. If they were acting up, that was a bad sign. Especially since the knights had to undergo inspection and questioning before being accepted into Khalid’s entourage. After all, assassins frequently disguised themselves, and Khalid was uncomfortably intimate with the dangers of assassins.

So he waited. And he waited. And waited, and kept waiting until an hour ago, when he spotted Judith during one of his bored stares out the window, coming to the front of the inn with the knights captain, deep in discussion. Khalid opened the window and shouted down at her, asking for that update so that he could access the tone and delivery of her response. If she called him Prince, addressing him with all the fluff and formality, then he should start worrying. But if she called him boy, as per usual, then everything was okay. A seamlessly effective warning system. She yelled at him to _“Stop hanging out the window, boy! I’ll get there when I get there!”_ A harsh informality that startled the grey haired captain she was talking to. But it was a good sign. It meant Khalid could worry less about his safety and more about… everything else.

Obviously everything was fine. And she left Khalid waiting even longer for, what reason exactly? Coming to the realization that he was staying in the suite not for his safety but for Judith’s convenience set something off in him. 

And sure maybe he was already on edge. 

Cyril had come by earlier, insisting on bringing Khalid’s food to his room. He was unable to give Khalid any new information but still didn’t want Khalid to risk venturing out in order to find out for himself. It was an irony that did not escape Khalid. Cyril was his ward, someone Khalid had ordered the care of since Cyril was a child newly orphaned by the remnants of war between Almyra and Fodlan. One of Khalid’s first real demands had been for Cyril to be treated as if he were Khalid’s own blood, and Khalid had seen him as a little brother since that day. He went so far as to give Cyril the von Riegan name since Khalid’s name in Almyra tied directly to his father and couldn’t be shared that way, but he still wanted Cyril to have a name that ensured those who heard it would offer their respect. But Cyril had these odd ideals of repaying Khalid. He wanted to become a retainer even as Khalid demanded there be no such expectations of servitude or combat put on to him. That didn’t stop Cyril from trying. Despite being so much younger and given the expressed order to be looked after, Cyril had far more freedom. All he had to do was tell Khalid’s guards that he was acting to oversee Khalid’s wellbeing, just like they were, and they let him walk. The guards didn’t stop Cyril from leaving his room, but they stopped Khalid.

He knew they only cared, he knew they would lay down their lives for Khalid and had dedicated a large portion of it to him already, but there was that feeling of impudence. Of being undermined. He felt treated as someone younger and less capable than he was, and left waiting as children often were. The tea Cyril brewed for Khalid had long since cooled. Khalid leaned from his chair to pick up his cup and drink it anyway, not a big fan of how far he had to reach to do so. 

There was also something about sitting alone in a big room and being faced with a sudden and unexpected barrier to his destination that felt too on the nose. He sat by the window looking at the snow he couldn’t move past, in a chair fit for the King that he wasn’t, and it was getting to him. It was custom built to fit the King of Faerghus’s liking, as all the furniture here was, and to comfortably accommodate for his frame. Dark blue with embroidery of the Blaiddyd crest, overstuffed and absolutely massive. The King of Faerghus was a giant of a man. Sitting there waiting for someone else's convenience, feeling small and disregarded bugged him in a way that Khalid was all too familiar with. He had started his political career when he was still very young, barely a teenager, and had suffered a lot of talking down to from condescending nobles between the start of his time in the Alliance and present day.

He tried not to get in his head about it, but he feared he had to make those same efforts all over again because he was arriving in a new nation. Even though he knew, logically, he wasn’t going to, that he carried the credibility on his name, that he was the one invited out in the first place and the letter had been so polite; he was still a human with a mind and a heart that sometimes escaped him. So Khalid was going to escape this damned room.

The entire building was rented for the stay of Khalid and his personale. The inn itself was nestled in a rich little town he was certain many affluent people used as a vacationing spot. He’d been watching the courtyard of the inn, watching many people come and go. Judith hadn’t left the building. The inn was occupied by people Khalid selected to join him on the journey and the already inspected inn’s staff. He was going to find her and he was going to be completely fine while doing it.

“My Prince,” One of Khalid’s guards said when he opened the door, standing to attention as he stepped out, dressed snuggly in the warm clothes he received as a gift when passing through Fraldarius territory. The second guard looked at if she was going to stop him, but he was too fast for either of them, half running to the end of the hall as they raised their heads from bowing. 

“Make sure no one goes through my things, will you? Thank you! You’re doing great work!” He called back, knowing they’d follow the order and stay put. He walked down the main staircase, getting looks from his personale and the knights they were already mingling with, dropping what they were doing and step far to the side to let the prince get to wherever he was going with such haste. Oh yeah, where was that. He walked back a few steps, grabbing the attention of his own guard as they still stared at him. “Would you happen to know where Nader and Judith are?” Khalid asked.

“I do, my Prince.” They said, trying to bow a little despite the awkward way they were inclined on the steps. “Down the stairs to the first floor, there is a meeting room toward the back, nearest the kitchen. Judith is talking to the Faerghus knights captain as Nader is out accessing the avalanche.”

“Without me, huh?” Khalid sucked his teeth and shook his head. He didn’t want to make his guard nervous with that response, though. “Thank you, I’ll be speaking to them about this at once. Oh! And don’t tell Cyril I’m gone, he’ll throw a fit about it.” He ordered, going down the stairs before he got confirmation on the order. He knew they’d listen.

The sitting areas on the first floor were warm with fireplaces and the smell of food, discussions being had by people passing on information and orders down the ranks or simply getting a hot meal in between shifts. He didn’t let any of them stop him, not wanting to be caught up in the timewaster that was people acknowledging and greeting royalty. He walked with a confidence that kept him uninterrupted from his goal. He found that room quickly, knowing it to be the right one with the Faerghus knights and their shiny silver emblems guarding the door. They stood alert by his sudden appearance. They knew him on sight as the whole reason they were there, and if he could say anything about Faerghus, it’s that they weren’t as willing to displease royalty as they were to displease Judith.

He swung the door open, interrupting whatever the young looking knights captain was saying. 

“Hello, Judith! Seems you got lost on the way to give me that update!” He said, reeking of passive aggression. Judith gave him a look fitting for his interruption.

“I don't know where you found this nerve, boy, but you better go put it back.” She said without so much as missing a beat. The battalion’s captain next to her bowed, a stark contrast to her unamused strong composure.

“Prince Khalid! It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness.” He said and wow, he was young, about Khalid’s age. Khalid had been certain that he was going to face some old windbag that seeing a young face had thrown him off his course of steadfast bitterness. “I am Ashe Ubert, the Captain in charge of the battalion, here to oversee your safe entry into Fhirdiad. You have my deepest apologies that we’re meeting under unfavorable circumstances!”

“Now look what you’ve done, you’ve gone and made the Captain nervous.” Judith sighed, shuffling some papers in her hands. “Well? What are you standing there for? Come in so you can be briefed, since this report was too important for you to knock first.” 

“If I could be briefed that would be great. Like, how long are we stuck here? What was that commotion this morning about?” Khalid finally stepped in. A knight closing the door behind him. The captain straightened up, lightly clearing his throat in preparation for Khalid joining them at the table.

“Well, Your Highness, there was an incident last night with the avalanche blocking the road. Someone was caught up in it, and they were discovered in the early hours before dawn. Had the knights not been here, they may not have been able to get the right help. But they’re okay now! And the avalanche isn’t _too_ bad! Which is probably not the report you were concerned about, my apologies, Prince Khalid.” Ashe said, bowing his head again. This little guy _was_ nervous. (Yes Khalid was the same height but he was going to ignore that fact.)

“Hey, enough with the bowing already. I’m not going to be offended just because someone in trouble got the help they needed. It’s good to see the knights of Faerghus are so attentive to the needs of the people.” He said, waving his hand to dismiss the bowing. Again. Alright maybe he’d feel a little bad for storming in if it was all because someone needed help. Snow was weather unlike any other, it could pile up and take lives, if it hadn’t taken that one then it was good. “But while we’re on the topic of the avalanche, what news do you have about it? We were supposed to depart from this town hours ago.”

“It’ll be a week. Word just got back from King Lambert.” Judith answered before Ashe could. She tossed the letter on the table in front of Khalid. ”He’s sending people to clear the path but it’s a delicate process with these temperatures and snowfall.”

“A _week?”_ Khalid picked the letter up, the royal wax seal broken yet recognizably legitimate. “But we aren’t prepared to stay here that long. Is there nothing more that can be done?”

“With this cold, Wyverns are sooner to fall out of the sky than make that distance. Only Pegasus Knights are able to travel and they’re very particular about their riders, so unless you want to try your luck at convincing those temperamental horses you’ve changed your gender, you’re here for a week. We have messengers and even incoming supplies should we need it. The mages at the site of the avalanche will need time.” 

“But we’re so close to the capital-” Khalid was cut off.

“And that’s why it isn’t going to take _even longer._ It’ll be a week, boy. Get comfortable and quit whining.” She said, leaving no room to be disputed. Khalid’s ears burned. He could feel the captain looking awkwardly between the two of them, and as badly as he wanted to tell her to _stop calling him boy,_ he didn’t want to make himself look worse in front of the captain.

“Fine.” He said, dropping the letter on the table. He walked to the door, wanting to get out of here and process the fact that he was stuck hovering in this awkward feeling of not knowing how his political future would play out.

“If you’re done here then you know what to do next. Nader drew up a rotation of guards for you before he left, go find Cyril and don’t go wandering off alone.” She said, huffing through her nose.

“Yeah, I know, I’ve only done this a hundred times.” Khalid retorted. He was ignored, saved for an anxious captain giving him a parting bow.

Khalid promptly went and wandered off alone. 

He snuck out the door nearest the kitchen, to the back of the inn where many workers went too and from. None of the staff stopped him because he walked with enough certainty and the knights who saw him didn't yet know he was meant to be under constant supervision. He would be fine, he had a knife in his boot and a lot of frustration. 

He walked down and out before he could be spotted and stopped, wanting to get some fresh air alone without the constant pressure of someone else's presence there. Once he had the forestline for cover, he slowed down, head tilted up to all the branches weighed by snow standing between him and the sky. The cold air was a welcome change to Khalid’s senses, taking in a deep breath that chilled him from the inside out and cooled his temper. He admired the view that had been trapped behind glass all morning, or as much as he could for the crumbs of appreciation still left for the sight of snow. He’d been traveling for awhile now, and it had been days since his first time seeing snow. It had finally lost its luster since becoming an obstacle, no longer leaving Khalid in awe but annoyment. 

He followed a trail that went along the back property of the inn, kicking around some snow to work out his cluster of emotions and get a breath of fresh air. It was only kinda working, because here he was surrounded by the very thing that was the source of his stress. The further away from the inn he went, the harder it was to walk, having to pull his feet higher in the air with every step. Even with the trails that had been walked through by the inn's staff, the snow went up his leg almost spilling into his boots, feeling icy wetness at his calf from the snow that stuck his loose pants to his skin. Moving through the snow was a skill Khalid had yet to perfect.

"Stupid snow." Khalid said, using his bare hands to pack a snowball and throw it at a tree in hopes it would make him feel better. He threw it down the path, watching it explode against a tree with a satisfying burst of wet ice. A loud SNAP rang as it connected. Khalid jumped, his heart racing from the shock of it. GODS- Did he do that? Could he have caused that? Was his crest working at a godly scale? Did throwing a snowball trigger the magic in his blood like using a bow would? Was that tree going to be falling on him?

None of that was the case. Another wooden snap rang out further down the trail, this one being far less of a surprise but still alarming all together. It was coming from the end of the trail, deeper into the woods where staff would go to and from for- some reason. He approached cautiously, getting sight of a clearing with stumps and racks for holding firewood. A station that the luxurious inn likely used to make sure they had their own source of firewood. Khalid got closer and heard steps. Someone was there. The station was occupied by only one person despite the number of people it meant to have working to keep such a large building warm. Khalid hid behind a tree to look at whatever, or whoever, could cause that sound.

Just behind the curve of the trail was a knight, standing with logs and neat piles of firewood, an axe casually in hand as he lowered a large section of a log down on its side, resting in on a flat slab of wood that kept things propped up for cutting. It looked to be about the fourth of the size of the logs piled up for cutting. The knight raised the axe over his head. Surely he wasn't the one making those sounds. The sound of an axe through wood was never so aggressive like what had rung through the air, and the wood was twice that of a stump; too short and too thick to be snapped in half. Any impact on it would be the explosion of a burst of wood and not the clean snap he heard earlier. Khalid caught himself feeling stupid- of course the sound wasn’t human made, in fact he should be grabbing the knight and getting out of here before a tree came crashing down on them, one was probably creaking from the weight of snow and about to fall. But when the knight swung down, cutting clean through the section of wood in one chop and reducing it to two stumps, he could tell there was no mere human strength to him.

Khalid thought he was going to pick up the axe again to further break up the stump stump, to split it height wise this time with another impressive swing. Instead he rested the axe against the ground, and the knight did something Khalid had never seen before. 

He picked up the half of the log, dug his fingers into the top where the tree rings showed, and ripped it in half. He did it so fast and with such ease that Khalid was convinced it was a trick of the copious light reflected off the snow, he was _certain_ that he couldn't believe what he was seeing, this couldn't be possible. But the knight didn’t stop there. He broke down the wood even further, the halves turning to fourths and put on top of a tall pile of firewood. He tore through it like someone ripping up a shitty contract, like it was paper instead of the raw material it was made from.

Khalid watched the knight take care of the other half of the log that way, ripping it in half at the grain, then go back to a spot where a log was split in half and then to a fourth, one of its original halves still in place. It leaned off a stump. That's not where the giant snap came from, was it? The wood splintered in a way it only could have if there was massive amounts of blunt force, like a stick over someone's knee.

The knight picked up the original logs remaining half with ease, propping it up easily between two rests, the station a place meant for wood cutters to take a saw to longer trees. Either end was elevated, the middle raised above the ground to leave an open space under it. He patted the wood, tapping at its middle a few times to find a good spot and then reeled back a fist. Khalid watched in disbelief. No way, that guy wasn't going to-

The knights punch landed, a loud SNAP rang as the entire thick of the once proud tree yielded under his blow. 

"Oh my Gods!" Khalid shouted, forgetting he was supposed to be sneaky. The knight looked up. Khalid was spotted. 

* * *

Dimitri didn't mean to cause as much trouble as he did. Really! He just wanted to do last minute training in the lodge up in the mountains near the Kingsman Village, something to focus his mind and body before their important guests arrived. It was only for half a week, then Dimitri would be back in the castle the night before Prince Khalid’s arrival and everything would be fine.

But... There was a snowstorm. And then an avalanche. An avalanche that was Dimitri’s fault. He was only meant to make an assessment of the roads, wanting to leave as soon as the storm calmed down, dawn already approaching with their heavy delay. But a bear had attacked their horses, and Dimitri had used far too much force in spearing the beast, wanting to kill it before it could come and threaten the safety of his friends. His crest activated. The ground shook as it was disrupted by Dimitri’s force, displacing a thick layer of fallen snow that barreled down the side of the mountain- and he was carried away with it. 

But Dimitri was perfectly fine! He spent his entire life training in this climate and knew exactly what to do in these cases. Yes, he was at the bottom of the mountain, but Dimitri was stronger than to keel to the weather. He had grabbed and hung off a sturdy branch before the snow could crash down and bury him, holding on until the roar of snow quieted and returned to the stillness of night. Lucky for him, it carried him down to a familiar road. He walked east for an hour, hoping to get back in contact with those who lost sight of him at the lodge before they got scared. But it was too late to save them from that dread.

Instead he came to the Blue Lion Knights deployed at Kingsman Village in a panic over the disappearance of their prince in the avalanche. 

As it turned out, Ingrid had cut directly from the lodge to the village, beating him to it and causing a stir as the sun rose. It wasn’t like her to yell at Dimitri, but she really let him have it. Her, Dedue, and Annette all saw him disappear in the flood of snow, and they all knew the body count the Faerghus winters accumulated. The hour spent searching for him from the dark sky, fearing she would come across his freezing corpse was the worst hour of her life. There was no amount of relief for his well being that could have saved Dimitri from being admonished for his excessive force in dealing with a _non-threatening bear attack._ Ashe had pointed out how a non-threatening bear attack was an oxymoron- something Dimitri knew but bit his tongue about- and ended up joining Dimitri in the receiving end of a lecture. She had gotten so caught up in her worry that she nearly demanded a spot be cleared at the Kingsman Royal Inn for him, but Dimitri stopped her there. 

It took some convincing, but he reached his ideal resolution. Prince Khalid was someone they had to make a strong first impression with. It would be a stain upon their foreign relations if the comfort or security of Prince Khalid was jeopardized because Dimitri’s appearance took away priority from him. He heard great things of the visiting ambassador, the very last thing Dimitri wanted was for Prince Khalid to be side lined over Dimitri’s carelessness. Especially because he was perfectly fine!

Ingrid and Ashe were resistant to the idea at first, but Judith thankfully was not, backing up Dimitri in his point. Kingsman, despite being a lavish village, wasn’t large enough to accompany two separate royal lineages, and the people would feel obligated to serve Dimitri first. Ashe, who protested more out of that very sense of obligation Dimitri based his argument around, folded. Ingrid was still disapproving, but wouldn't go against direct orders from her prince, and couldn’t stand around and argue while their friends waited for her to come back with word about Dimitri’s whereabouts.

So, here Dimitri was! Disguising as a knight. Dimitri and Ashe informed the Blue Lions battalion of the situation, Dimitri ordering them to secrecy as he swapped places with a knight of similar build. Dimitri thanked the knight who was ordered to take pay leave, vowing to do right by their accommodations of him. He would sleep in their barracks, never be seen without his helmet, and work closely with Ashe to ensure they would make it to the end of the week without incident or exposure. Ingrid left to inform their friends he was perfectly okay, telling him she would be coming for check ins regularly, but otherwise everything was settled! Mostly.

His incident had caused unrest that only now started smoothing over, a set schedule that had been thrown off course. The staff was short on people in the kitchen. (A lot of skipped breakfasts, all Dimitri’s fault.) So Dimitri relieved those working on the fire wood to manage the job himself, hoping to give the overworked staff and knights a break for once. If Dimitri was going to look like a knight, he would put in the work as well. The least he could do for those he worried and inconvenienced was to keep them warm.

He was pretty good at this, too. Dimitri was the only one here, with no need to hide his noticeably royal strength and slow down the firewood process. He knew this, although faster, was technically the improper way to go about assembling firewood. The pieces would be less smooth, less uniform, he wasn't using a saw and barely used the axe, but axes were a weapon and tool he had little luck with. Always more likely to snap the handle than make proper use of it. Which was less of an issue if it was one of his own weapons, but this axe belonged to one of the staff. It was best he touched it as little as possible. The only time he used it was in the last step of breaking the logs down into the manageable eighths, where a single punch would’ve burst the log into splinters and leave it unsalvageable. That wasn’t a mistake he needed to make twice.

Dimitri was able to get through a four person job in a fraction of the time. Impressive not only for the time it saved, but the spectacle it offered.

The disguised prince was so caught up in the flow of his task that he had been unaware of the onlooker until his strength startled them out of hiding.

At first Dimitri feared he had been caught, that a staff member had returned and witnessed the characterizing strength Dimitri was using and he had blown his cover in the first hours of his week long charade.

But then Dimitri saw him. He’d been starting at Dimitri, watching him for who knows how long. His hands against the tree he’d been hiding behind and alarmed Dimitri had noticed him, freezing up now that he was seen. The descriptions he got of Prince Khalid were all generally the same; An Almyran man on the shorter side with an archer's build, who dressed it in rich yellow toned clothes, as curious as he was clever. Light brown skin, green eyes, a part of his dark brown hair longer than the rest in a braid. Dimitri knew who it was as soon as he saw him. 

But they had failed to mention how beautiful Prince Khalid was. 

He looked at Dimitri like a deer caught in a hunter's sights, eyes gemlike and wide with surprise yet holding unmistakable intelligence. The cold flushed his face in lovely reds- Dimitri wondered if his blush looked anything like that. The impish shape of his lips parted slightly, puffs of careful breath visible in the cold air. Playful curls stuck out from his head wrap, the extra fabric hanging from it swaying as he took a half step back behind the tree. Khalid stared back at him in uncertainty, shifting nervously as he was pinned under Dimitri’s intense gaze. He was staring. He was staring at Prince Khalid.

Dimitri’s heart raced. 

"Prince Kh- Ah!" Suddenly it wasn't Prince Khalid in his view, but the sky. In his haste, Dimitri had forgotten about the wood he'd just split and it was, quite literally, his downfall. His calves hit solid wood when he whipped around to face the handsome prince, tripping Dimitri and making him plumet backwards over it. His feet flew in the air, his back hit the ground, his pride was shattered.

The Goddess, if she ever really existed, had sided with the oak. 

Prince Khalid laughed and all Dimitri could do was lay there, an indent in the snow, thinking how cute his laugh sounded- even though it was Dimitri he was laughing at. Any expectation of making a good first impression on the Almyran Prince fell with Dimitri. 

Khalid slapped both hands over his mouth, trying and failing to smother his laughter. So much for the big guy with the legendary Fodlan super strength. He’d been giving Khalid such a hard look that he started wondering if he was in trouble- but then he went and tripped over his own feet.

He felt bad for laughing, but with the size of those helmets? He doubted the knight heard him. His whole head was probably still ringing like a bell. That thought brought another fit of laughter to Khalid. He tried to quiet it, but there was little fruit from that labor.

He approached the toppled knight, leaning gingerly over the log to peer down at the Faerghus man who just showed the most impressive feat of strength and clumsiness Khalid had ever seen back to back. Blue eyes stared back at him, and there was another moment of silence that threatened the edge of awkwardness before the knight finally scrambled to put himself back together. He crawled backward and jumped up, back into his good little soldier routine. Khalid kept a hand curled over his mouth in case laughter crested over his words in a way so not befitting royalty.

But he found it hard to care with the amusing knight.

“Prince Khalid,” The knight stopped to clear his throat but not his armor and furs, still caked in freshly fallen snow for the freshly fallen knight. He crossed one arm behind himself and one arm forward, bending at the waist, and as everyone always insisted on doing, bowed deeply. Were all knights this nervous? “My deepest apologies, Your Highness, I hadn’t, hadn’t seen you there, um,” the knight began to look up but quickly ducked his head back down. “It is an honor, Prince Khalid.” Khalid almost laughed again, wishing he could see the look on the knights face right now. 

Actually... 

Khalid grasped the cold metal of the helmet between his gloveless hands, the metal fogging around the warmth of his fingers. The height of this knight made it so when he bowed, his head was at eye level with Khalid, making the slip of his helmet an easy one.

“If you knights are going to keep bowing then you should at least make yourselves presentable.” Khalid teased, pulled the helmet from the knight’s head. Fine blond hair spilling out from the armor it was tucked into. The knight looked up, taken aback to have his charge be so forward as to cross the invisible line of separation between royalty and the rest of the world. Khalid saw the bluest eyes he’d ever and the handsome face that neat blond hair framed. His cheeks were flushed from embarrassing himself in front of royalty, a strong jaw prominent with the tilt of his head. A youthful appearance he may have expected from the actions of a clumsy knight, but to be so good looking? The world was playing a joke on him.

“Your Highness?” The knight prompted hesitantly, blond eyelashes fluttering with a bashful look. Khalid realized then how close he was, feeling a heat flood his face that could melt the avalanche if he stuck his head in it.

“Um- at east!” He said, holding the helmet to his chest to have something to clutch on to. “Gods, no, I mean- at ease! Just- stand up.” Khalid said, thinking how good burying his head in the snow sounded right now. Asking him to stand straight was a mistake. The snow boots Khalid had lacked the bit of heel he preferred his shoes to have, but that wouldn’t help him feel less short. The knight was so much taller than Khalid, passing six feet in height. Broad, too. Very broad. It was Khalid’s turn to back up this time. 

“What’s your name, Sir Knight?” He asked, trying to compose his full regal airs. 

“It- It’s Dimitri, Your Highness.” The knight looked from him to the helmet still in Khalid’s hands, Khalid realizing how absurd it was to still be holding it. So Khalid did the rational thing.

He chucked it in the air. It went higher than he expected it to. The helmet hit a branch overhead, coming back down with vengeance and a pile of snow onto the pair of flustered princes.

What a brilliant fucking move, Khalid. You sure are that diplomat everyone's so dazzled to meet.

“Gods- damnit.” Khalid swore, swiftly ripping his head wrap off his head before it melted and dampened his scalp. He unfurled it, furiously shaking the snow out. “There's so much SNOW! You guys just live in this stuff???” He asked the knight, momentarily distracted from how handsome he was by the snow in his eyes. He wiped it out with his wrap, trying to flick off as much snow as he could from his shoulders before it melted in his collar and made his neck cold and wet.

“There’s nowhere to live in Faerghus without it, Prince Khalid.” Dimitri said so used to snow getting into his armor that he barely considered it a discomfort anymore. But he did give his head one solid shake, flinging the snow Khalid cursed off his head.

“Yeah, figures.” He muttered, now holding the fabric loose in his hand. Dimitri tried not to smile. In fact, he should be infinitely more worried with Khalid’s presence before him, because Dimitri was very much not supposed to meet him yet. But by luck or something similar to it, Prince Khalid had not recognized him as the Prince of Faerghus. Though Dimitri should be worried about a delayed recognition, it was difficult not to be taken by good spirits with the man before him. Even more handsome up close, a snowflake stuck to his thick eyelashes and was promptly rubbed out by the slender, skilled hands of an archer. His hands carded through his hair, shaking out his curls and opening up his face from obstruction. The cut of his cheekbones, the way his jaw seemed to be the perfect shape to fit in Dimitri’s hands. Khalid was scowling, and Dimitri took note of something shiny glazed over his lips, something with the slightest bit of color to it, pretty and warm and matching the colors Prince Khalid adored. Dimitri knew makeup wasn’t uncommon, but he never took real note of it until now. 

Prince Khalid was very, very pretty, and the way he tried to rid every flake of snow from his person as if he were exacting revenge on the weather itself was very, very charming, and it shouldn’t be this hard for Dimitri to stop smiling. 

“What’s so funny, Sir Knight?” Khalid looked up at him and squinted, Dimitri had done a poor job of containing his expression. Dimitri blinked and looked straight on, breaking eye contact in what was technically considered respectful, but Khalid was half a foot shorter than him, so maybe looking up over his head wasn’t the most mannerly thing to do.

“Nothing, Prince Khalid.” Dimitri said, finally smothering his levity.

“That’s _Ambassador_ Prince Khalid to you.” Khalid poked him in the chest, finger uselessly tapping against the metal armor. 

“Of course, Ambassador Prince Khalid, my apologies.” 

“Well when you say it it just sounds like a mouthful.”

“How else should I say it, Ambassador Prince Khalid? I am eager for your suggestion, Ambassador Prince Khalid.” Maybe not all of his levity.

“Oh, knock it off!” Khalid said, flicking Dimitri’s nose. “You want a suggestion? Learn some fire magic. A whole battalion of knights but there aren’t enough here to manage the weather? I’ll be taken in by the snow before an assailant at this point.” 

“You make an excellent point, Your Highness. I’m sorry to say that magic teachings are not prioritized in Knights of Faerghus unless it is of a specific subset, and even then elemental magic is not guaranteed to be within the knights capabilities.” Dimitri explained, looked at Khalid once again. Khalid crossed his arms.

“Typical.” He huffed. “A whole land of magic and it’s still valued less than physical merit.”

“If I may, Your Highness, it is not just physical merit that determines the success of a knight, but the merit of one's character.” Dimitri started, “There is the care one puts into those they are charged to protect. Even though I cannot melt the snow and my strength may never be of use to you, I hope myself and the other knights can ensure your comfort and security while you’re in our care.” Dimitri said in the tones of a knight, hoping it wasn’t too late to save face with the Prince of Almyra in this small way.

“Please, any more comfort and I’ll slip into a coma.” Khalid said. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not ungrateful for the comforts given to me. The bed in the suite is really soft, but I can’t spend all my time in it. That’s why I’m here right now.” His stance shifted along with something in his eyes. “You know what you can offer me, Sir Dimitri?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Whatever it is, I’ll try to meet your request in full, Your Highness.” Dimitri said, a very automatic response, though how he wanted to hear what Khalid could’ve had in mind to make him look at Dimitri like that. Khalid stepped closer, a coy smile on his face as he walked right up to him.

“Entertainment.” He said, that smile knowing all too well what possible implications could be behind it. A drop of excitement ran through Dimitri’s back.

“Entertainment?” Dimitri’s blush returned. He couldn’t help it, and by the looks of mischievous satisfaction, it was exactly what Khalid wanted to see. He was teasing Dimitri. “What kind of entertainment did you have in mind, Prince Khalid?” Dimitri internally scolded himself for letting his mind fall to such thoughts, even if that’s what Khalid had intended, just to see him redden. Surely Prince Khalid would never be so forward… would he?

“Were you really punching those logs in half?” Khalid said, looking at the stack of heavy oak that still needed to be worked through. Ah. Right. Khalid had seen that. Of course that was what he meant, it was always an inevitable talking point with the people he met. Dimitri was so used to his strength being a part of his everyday life, it was easy to forget how unusual such might and the utilization of it was. But there was genuine amazement in Khalid’s tone and the way he looked to the work Dimitri had been doing. He couldn't be too disappointed. “You were using your hands but there’s an axe right there, what’s the deal with that? And why are you doing it all by yourself out in the cold?”

“I was.” Dimitri confirmed, going in order of Khalid’s questions. “The people of the town are trying to recuperate from the heavy snowfall and I thought this would be the best use of my strength.” Dimitri explained. “You see, I was born with this strength, but oftentimes it means whatever tools I’m using are in danger of being broken should I lack mindfulness. These are not my tools to break, so I’ve been trying to use them as little as possible- while still helping in the ways I can. I’m one of the few who was able to eat this morning, I was hoping to give the staff here the chance to do the same. But as I’m sure you’ve seen, it can be rather disruptive. It’s best for me to do this when no ones around. Does that satisfy your question, Your Highness?”

“It satisfies my question, but not my curiosity. The people of Fodlan are incredible, I had heard such strength could be found in Faerghus but I’ve yet to see it for myself.” Khalid said, going over to the stacked up logs. “And you can pick these up? All on your own?”

“That is correct, Your Highness.”

“So get over here and show me! I need to make sure you’re not just bragging because you want to impress my handsome self. Give me the proof.” Khalid said, waving Dimitri over. “How much do you think the whole stack weighs? What is each log, 150? 200? They aren’t exactly uniform in width, but I’m willing to accept a couple of educated guesses since you’ve been hauling them around for awhile.”

“Hm… I’m not sure.” Dimitri reached out and drew the top log from the stack as if he were pulling out a scroll, fingers effortlessly digging into the bark of the wood and drawing it out. He walked back until it was a bit more than halfway out, making it easier for Dimitri to balance it in his grip. He dipped it low, bobbing it in one hand to determine the weight. Khalid watched, amazed and somehow still a little skeptical. “Around 500, if I’m to guess. This isn’t my profession so I won’t be able to give you a better number than that, I’m afraid.”

“What? No way, you’re making it look too easy, I almost feel like I’m being challenged here.” Khalid said, putting a hand under the log as if he were trying to lift it from Dimitri’s grip.

“Prince Khalid, I advise you don't!” Dimitri said, stopping Khalid before he could try to get under the heavy oak. “If you think I’m exaggerating then you’re free to not believe me, but if you insist on making some attempt then please let me isolate it so there is no risk of disturbing the rest. It can be dangerous, then you would be in mortal danger from firewood, not snow or an assailant.”

“Alright, big guy, if you can’t protect me from a couple of trees that lost a fight.” Khalid relented. Dimitri wrapped his arm around the trunk, carrying the log on one shoulder and placing it to where he originally had been making the initial strike to split it. A station where two workers were typically required to saw it in half to accomplish the same feat. Khalid watched from a distance. “Hey careful with that, I don't want to be caught in its radius if you do any more tripping.” Khalid teased, getting another scrunch of Dimitri’s face as he tried not to show how embarrassed he still felt about the whole thing. 

Khalid looked at the imprints Dimitri left on the base where the rings still told the trees age, seeing the imprint of gauntlets Dimitri wore. Maybe he wasn’t all that strong, maybe it was just the metal that left those crazy dents. He tried to pick it up the way Dimitri had from the little handle his iron grip had left on the log and- nothing. Not a budge. Khalid was doing more to drag himself down than lift the oak up, the hope of using his body as a counter weight turned against him. 

“Oh my Gods this thing is heavy,” Khalid grunted, trying with both hands this time. Then he tried wrapping his arms around the trunk. No dice. Just a splinter. “Ow-”

“Prince Khalid, are you okay?” Dimitri asked, hearing his smallest expression of pain and rushing over. He had been looking at Khalid with a middling level of worry the entire time, but a splinter was better than Khalid getting crushed by a quarter ton of wood. 

“Mhm. Yep. ‘m fine.” Khalid said, pulling the splinter out with his teeth and wrapping his head wrap around his palm to stop the droplet of blood.

“Seems I wasn’t able to protect you from, how did you phrase it? From a tree that lost a fight?” Dimitri jested, finding dry humor as he took Khalid’s hand, frowning gently. 

“It just won round 2. I say we’re even.” Khalid said, trying not to make a big deal out of Dimitri holding his hand. 

“You aren’t wearing gloves…” He said, seeing how his fingers turned pink from the cold. He turned the injured hand over. Warmth from Dimitri’s palms radiated into Khalid’s hand. 

“Oh, yeah. Keep forgetting them, you know?” Khalid rubbed the back of his neck, not realizing how cold his fingers were until Dimitri held them in his hands. Dimitri was about to say something, but Khalid felt the opportunity he made for himself started to escape.

“...Hey, you were able to put that thing on one shoulder.” Khalid prompted again. Dimitri looked up. He now saw that this whole proof of strength fiasco was meant to lead somewhere in the first place with how Khalid looked at him and then away, looking self conscious yet hadn’t taken his hand out of Dimitri’s. “...I bet you couldn’t pick me up like that.” Ah. There it was. “I’m too much muscle. Too lively, it's completely different from hauling wood, that stuff's stationary.” Khalid kept going. Dimitri knew what this was leading to, in fact it was often a part of the conversation when Dimitri’s strength was made a spectacle. But he maintained a straight face. He wanted to hear Khalid say it.

“What are you getting at?” Dimitri asked. Khalid looked back at him, as if it were a casual dare.

“The way you carried it,” Khalid arranged Dimitri’s arm. Upper arm straight out from his shoulder parallel to the ground, mirroring the way Dimitri had put the log over one shoulder. “Do you think I could fit right there?” he patted Dimitri’s bicep. 

“You… want me to put you over my shoulder?”

“No! I’m not a sack of potatoes. I’m more dignified than that. I was thinking more like. Perching. And it’s not like it’s just your shoulder! It’d be too easy otherwise!” Khalid specified, looking sheepish.

“Perching.” Dimitri repeated.

“Can you do it or not?” Khalid reached the cap of the embarrassment he was willing to put himself through by detailing his request.

“Easily.” Dimitri said. He stood at Khalid’s side then knelt down, recreating his pose from before. “If you would sit back, Your Highness?”

“And you have to stand all the way up, otherwise that’s cheating.” Khalid said, looking down at Dimitri. He sat down, thighs to Dimitri’s bicep. The longer, loose fabric of Khalid’s clothes hit his face. He smelled so good, Dimitri almost forgot how to stand. Thankfully he found the motor skills he’d been more or less capable of using since he first saw Khalid, and rose to full height. 

Khalid weighed nothing compared to all the physical labor Dimitri had been doing all day, and to rise so suddenly made Khalid catch himself on Dimitri. He leaned to put a hand on Dimitri’s unoccupied shoulder, leaning his weight on him like that, side pressing into his face. So warm. Dimitri considered surviving an avalanche to be a worthwhile expense if it meant he could be here right now. 

Khalid was a man of exceptional dexterity and grace, but even he was susceptible to needing to regain his balance, especially when Dimitri rose from the ground that fast. He leaned with his hand on Dimitri’s head to sit up right, then held tightly to Dimitri’s forearm as he was higher off the ground than first anticipated. Oddly enough the whole experience made him miss his wyvern even more, but he didn’t linger on homesickness. He couldn’t when Dimitri’s hand held his waist, doing his part from both sides to keep Khalid balanced. 

“Is this what you had in mind, Your Highness?” Dimitri asked, looked up at Khalid. 

“This is exactly what I had in mind.” Khalid said, crossing his legs to casually show off his elegance. 

“Would it have not been easier to sit on my shoulders?”

“Yeah, but like I said, that’s too easy. How's it a test then?” 

“I am still not entirely sure what is left to be tested. But, any way you see fit, Your Highness. I consider myself deeply lucky for the lovely man on my arm, even if this is how he gets there.” Dimitri said, a play on words for the unusual way it was true. And flirtatious in a way Khalid had been secretly hoping for while not trying to be _too_ hopeful. Khalid had to stop and look at him for that. He’d been flirting, yes, but for Dimitri to reciprocate-

“There he is!” Cyril shouted from up the trail, spotting Khalid through the snow caked branches with cunning eyes that never failed to pinpoint the prince. 

“Uh oh. You should probably let me down- how do I get down from here?” Khalid asked, a hand back on Dimitri’s head as he looked down, trying to find a quick way down from this angle and height. It wasn’t the same as dismounting a wyvern, and Khalid had never been good at climbing trees. He had decided on jumping down when Dimitri pulled his arm out from under Khalid, stepped back faster than Khalid could fall, catching him in both arms on his way down. “Whoa! You just looove showing off, don’t you, big guy?”

“You seem to enjoy it.” Dimitri retorted, proudly holding Khalid bridal style. Khalid had yet to touch the ground when Cyril was there, catching them in their closeness. Dimitri was fast, but Cyril’s urgency to find Khalid was faster. 

Being found in the arms of a random Faerghus knight wasn’t a bad look, but it wasn’t a great one either. Especially to Cyril, who never failed to wear his judgement on his sleeve. That’s why his mother liked Cyril so much. That and the fact Cyril was very protective of Khalid. So here Cyril was with Khalid, in the middle of Faerghus, in the middle of a forest, fixing the knight with a dirty look.

“What’re you doing out here? Runnin’ off like this is dangerous, Khalid.” Cyril asked. “And you. Doesn’t Faerghus make a big deal outta respecting royalty? You can back up now.” He told the knight, stepping forward as if he could size Dimitri up and take him in a fight. Dimitri, for his part, placed Khalid on the ground and backed up, giving Cyril a short apologetic bow. He outranked the knights as Khalid’s ward.

“You’re right, my apologies-” Dimitri didn’t get a chance to finish.

“Your Highness!” The grey haired captain shouted. Judith and the knights captain came up shortly behind Cyril, their haste a little more subdued than the wards sprint.

“What did I say about going off on your own, boy?” Judith asked, the most relaxed yet annoyed of the three.

“Aw, come on. You had to snitch on me to Cyril?” Khalid complained. 

“He was out here gettin’ real close with this knight.” Cyril said while still glaring down the knight in question. 

“So as you can see, I _wasn’t_ off on my own. I was accompanied by a very capable knight.” Khalid said, walking to Dimitri’s side and hooking their arms. “Hey, captain Ashe! I want this knight to be added to my personal guard for the duration of my stay.” Khalid said, unapologetically showing favor to Dimitri.

“S-surely there’s better accommodations-” Ashe started.

“You can’t be serious.” Judith said, cutting the nervous captain off. 

“Oh but I can be. And I am! In fact I think you’ve been holding out on me! Hiding him among the regular knights, it’s a good thing I found him here. Afterall, it’s better if I have one strong knight that I know on sight than a bunch of faceless ones that can get the jump on me. Don’t you agree?”

“I, I, guess-” Ashe stuttered.

“No way!” Cyril interrupted. “You just met this guy and you’re going to trust him like that? _Just_ like that?” 

“Hm… You make a good point there.” Khalid said, idly twirling the clasp of his braid between his fingers as if perplexed. But it was fake contemplation, and anyone who knew Khalid’s habits could spot that a mile away. He knew that would be pointed out to him and used it to work toward a practical aspect of his end goal. “He’ll join us for dinner! We can make an assessment of his character there.” Khalid decided, looking up at the knight that had caused such a stir. Dimitri was pink from all the attention. Khalid couldn’t help how he wanted to lay more on him. 

“Fine.” Judith yielded, marching up to get a hold of Khalid’s arm. She pulled him away from the knight that had taken the heat off of Khalid’s sudden unexplained absence. Ashe, who hadn’t been able to get a word in about the assigning of his own knight, looked bewildered upon Judith’s easy agreement of Khalid’s demands. “If having a toy will keep you from getting lost in a mountain, we’ll invite him to dinner. But you’re coming back with me now. Your guards are going to start panicking if you’re gone any longer.” 

“You better be grateful for this kinda invitation.” Cyril said, standing face to face with Dimitri now that Khalid was being pulled back. “And don’t go thinking I’ll let my guard down just ‘cause Khalid wants you around! I got eyes on the back of my head, so don’t go trying anything, got it?” He pointed at his eyes with two fingers and then at Dimitri, walking backwards in what Dimitri was sure was meant to intimidate him. He nearly tripped over a stump, turning and jogged to join Khalid and Judith before Dimitri could say anything about it. So much for eyes on the back of his head.

“Understood.” Dimitri said mostly to the air, looking past Cyril to see Khalid turn and wave at him. 

“I’ll be seeing you shortly, Sir Knight!” Khalid shouted. Dimitri’s heart fluttered with the way he smiled, he returned the sentiment with a soft wave back even though Khalid turned back before he could see it. Judith tugged at his arm again to grab his attention.

“Let the young man finish his chores in peace.” Judith scolded Khalid as they went back toward the inn.

“Oh so I’m a boy and he’s a young man??” Khalid pointed out, jokingly offended.

“You’ll move up in rank when you learn to stop running away.” Judith said.

“What am I then?” Cyril asked.

“You are an exceptional young man, Cyril. They could both stand to learn from you.” Judith said, giving him the praise she wouldn’t give Khalid.

“Hey!” Khalid complained.

The sound of their fond bickering faded as they went further away until they were out of ear shot, vanishing down the trail. He had forgotten himself completely in the company of Prince Khalid, and only Ashe seemed to be aware of the fact this was a disaster situation.

_“Prince Dimitri Alexander Blaiddyd.”_ Ashe whispered sharply through his teeth, trying to not yell at his prince but saying his full name like an upset mother would. Oh no. “Why were you consorting with the visiting prince?? You’re supposed to be _hidden.”_

“Now, Ashe, I know how bad this looks.” Dimitri said, hands raised defensively.

“Do you, Your Highness???” Ashe pinched the bridge of his nose. He was wound as tight as a wire and looked about as ready to snap as one. “Goddess above, this is a nightmare. I can’t believe you’ve done this. I can’t believe Judith played along! Why would she throw you at him! I knew this was going to be hard but I didn’t expect it to fall apart so fast.”

“I am deeply and truly sorry for furthering your troubles, Ashe. I was already asking so much of you to assimilate me into your battalion. I assure you I hadn’t left this post since you last saw me off! I didn’t think Prince Khalid would go out on his own like that.” Dimitri apologized, feeling bad for his inability to be upset over his encounter with Prince Khalid.

“No, no! This is my fault!” Ashe went on, hands flying in the air in a grand gesture exasperation. He further embodied the mannerism of a distressed mother who tried and failed at wrangling a beautiful yet unruly youthful daughter. “I should’ve known when I saw how pretty he was that he would find his way to you. I oughta learned as much from our time at the Academy.” Dimitri raised a brow to Ashe’s words.

“I’m not entirely sure what you could mean. Did my time at the Academy really give you such an impression of my character?” Dimitri asked, shocked to hear this about himself. “I wasn’t nearly as salacious as others in our class.” Dimitri knew Ashe knew he was talking about Sylvain.

“Do you really not know how many people were trying to get your attention?” Ashe said, directly calling him out. He broke eye contact, not wanting to go on for too long and risk exposing himself for his Academy crush on Dimitri. “Oh, I’m sorry Your Highness. I shouldn’t forget who I’m speaking to. All that stuff isn’t the point.” He huffed, calming down a little. “The point is now he’s seen your face! His entourage didn’t recognize you but they’ll know who you are when we finally reach Fhirdiad. For reasons beyond me, Judith didn’t stop his advances, but surely this charade can’t go on!” Ashe said, looking everywhere but Dimitri. His straying eyes found the helmet to his armor in a nearby bush, the metal becoming a bowl for the snow. He picked it up, knocked the snow out and handed it back to Dimitri.

“You’re right. Yet this is a delicate line to walk, Ashe. Surely the same expectations of conduct for royalty have been conditioned into him, but he seems quite restless right now. Telling him now could cause disorder in his attending people and the surrounding town, more disorder then they’ve already had.” Dimitri brushed the bits of snow from the nooks and crannies of the helmet. “The added stress with my appearance is more than the people here are equipped to handle.” Dimitri saw himself in the reflection of the helmet, remembering who he was and what he was there for. He’d gotten so carried away when talking to Khalid… 

“I’ll attend the dinner tonight and make an assessment with Judith about this situation. Surely she must have a good reason for allowing this to happen. And if nothing else then, um,” Dimitri cleared his throat. “I shall do my best to accommodate, comfort and entertain my guest, as I had always intended to do since the planning of his arrival. He is a guest in Faerghus, and I fully intend to be a good host.” Dimitri said, trying to poise himself in a way that cleared him of double entendres. He didn’t succeed.

“Oh, Your Highness.” Ashe sighed, spotting the helpless beginnings of a crush taking shape in Dimitri. “I hope this works out for your sake.”


End file.
